It’s that time of the year again, that time where I ask what your plans are for your shirt in 2024 when the season starts. For me, it’s a second season in a row that I won’t need to buy a new jersey.
That said, I did buy my girlfriend a George Kittle jersey since she became a rabid fan within a year of dating me. So I did manage to keep the jersey economy churning. But what about the rest of you? Are any new players getting investments?
I have quite a few jersey’s over the years; Frank Gore, a Patrick Willis Super Bowl 47, the go-to George Kittle elite jersey (those big expensive ones that require a second mortgage to buy), and a Fred Warner throwback.
There are a lot of you though that might have something out of date. You may have hung onto that Jimmy Garoppolo jersey (still) thinking he’d find his way back. Or maybe that Trey Lance jersey stays in your closet for reasons. For many of you, this year would be a good time to drop the ridiculous $300 dollars on one of those elite jerseys, but then comes the hard decision on which player to invest in.
Brock Purdy has always been the obvious option since last year. He sold merchandise and if the 49ers have an offseason with him that resembles the current one with Aiyuk, well, I don’t know what to think. Overall for NFL fans, the quarterback is always a good go-to jersey choice.
So why did I buy Kittle? Well, like I said last year, he’s a guy I could actually see myself having a beer with and talking wrestling and video games. He also helped propel me to being the undisputed fantasy champion in 2018 since I owned him in all my leagues. I know the players tend to hate fantasy football for obvious reasons, but it was still awesome that he was my boy in that. So Kittle will probably be the investment.
Jersey’s are always a risky thing. They are so bloody expensive and you run the risk of your name underperforming, or worse, getting traded/released in a year. When the top-line jerseys are in the $300 range, you definitely are making an investment hoping to keep that name around so your jersey isn’t dated. Even after the player switches teams or retires, there’s a certain history and nostalgia for the time you spent wearing it.
Are any of you looking to update your jersey collection? If so, who? Do you have a go-to jersey to wear on gameday? Who is it?